Calamity

This is the mark of me falling off a ladder whilst painting, and doing my best not to overturn a can of paint as I landed:

The floor I landed on was hard basement, but I appear to have escaped major injury, so the painting continues. I was pretty shaken and confused for a while afterwards, but nothing's broken or unable to function!

I finished painting this once brown wood paneling and the room looks so much brighter, and ready for the world

Transformation

I'm delighted to see this guest room finally transformed into something peaceful, where closing my eyes doesn't leave me with flashes of midnight blue and orange burning through my eyelids - okay, so I exaggerate! 

It was one of the last rooms I tackled in L&R's house (1 more remains to be done), but it is definitely one of the more satisfying turn-arounds I've dealt with. I didn't capture enough of the garish orange skirting boards and trim when I took this early picture - but maybe it's just as well.

 It's actually a lovely room!

And, now that we've re-taken possession of our Chelmsford house (the tenants moved their last items out on the weekend), the painting begins there. The scuffs and marks from furniture and who knows what else make the rooms look pitifully uncared for, so a major undertaking has begun before the photographers arrive to take new pics. Two and a half rooms painted, with one and a half to go. What a rush we're in to get the house freshened up for the staging props.

No Rime or Reason

I found this beautifully outlined beech leaf on my lawn in the sun, but none of the others had a white edge like this. It's definitely not frost or rime,

so I suspect it must be some kind of fungal growth. It creates a fantastic edge.

Careless People

I'm reading a fascinating book about working at Facebook, written by a former employee and director of public policy. The book was released in 2025 despite the company's objections. 

Wow, their focus on growth at all and any cost is frightening. The author uses the term 'lethal carelessness' to describe the lack of awareness and inadequacy of ethics or principles guiding such a huge global venture.

It's riveting stuff : Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams